I will not insist upon questions of this kind, but will make a short application of the doctrine unto you, honourable and beloved. You may plainly see from what hath been said, that neither kings, nor parliaments, nor synods, nor any power on earth, may impose or continue the least ceremony upon the consciences of God's people, which Christ hath not imposed; therefore let neither antiquity, nor custom, nor conveniency, nor prudential considerations, nor show of holiness, nor any pretext whatsoever, plead for the reservation of any of your old ceremonies, which have no warrant from the word of God. Much might have been said for the high places among the Jews, as I hinted in the beginning; and much might have been said by the Pharisees for their frequent washings (Mark vii. 2, 3, 4, 7), which, as they were ancient, and received by the traditions of the elders, so they were used to teach [pg 6-031] men purity, and to put them in mind of holiness; neither was their washing contrary to any commandment of God, except you understand that commandment of not adding to the word (Deut. iv. 2; xii. 32; Prov. xxx. 6), which doth equally strike against all ceremonies devised by man.
“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” Gal. v. 9; and a little leak will endanger the ship. Thieves will readily dig through a house, how much more will they enter if any postern be left open to them. The wild beasts and boars of the forest will attempt to break down the hedges of the Lord's vineyard (Psal. lxxx. 13), how much more if any breach be left in the hedges. If, therefore, you would make a sure reformation, make a perfect reformation, lest Christ have this controversy with England, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,” Rev. ii. 4. And so much of our duty.
The second doctrine concerneth God's decree, and it is this: “It is concluded in the council of heaven, and God hath it in the thoughts of his heart, to repair the breaches of his house, and to build such a temple to himself, as is shadowed forth in this vision of Ezekiel.” For the comparing of this verse with ver. 7 in this same chapter, and with chap. xxxvii. 26, 27, will easily make it appear, that this showing of the pattern, and all this measuring, was not only in reference to Israel's duty, but to God's gracious purpose towards Israel. According to that, Zech. i. 16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” Now this vision cannot be said to be fulfilled in Zorobabel's temple, as I proved before, only here take notice that the second destruction of the temple by the Romans was worse than the first by the Babylonians,—that desolation was repaired, but this could never be repaired, though the Jews did attempt the building again of the temple,[1393] first under Adrian the emperor, and afterward under Julian the apostate. The hand of God was seen against them most terribly by fire from heaven, and other signs of that kind; and about the same time (to observe that by the way) the famous Delphic temple was without [pg 6-032] man's hand, by fire and earthquake, utterly destroyed and never built again,—to tell the world that neither Judaism nor paganism should prevail, but the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Where then must we seek for the accomplishment of Ezekiel's vision, I mean for the new temple in which the Lord will dwell for ever, and where his holy name shall be no more polluted? Surely we must seek for it in the days of the gospel, as hath been before abundantly proved; but that the thing may be the better understood, let us take with us, at least, some few general observations concerning this temple of Ezekiel, as it representeth what should come to pass in the church of Christ.
First of all, there is but one temple, not many, showed to him,—which is in part, and shall be yet more fulfilled in the church of the New Testament, according to that, Zech. xiv. 8, “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem;” which is the same that we have, Ezek. xlvii. 1. Then follows, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.” The like promise we find elsewhere: “I will give them one heart, and one way,” Jer. xxxii. 39; Ezek. xi. 19. It is observed, that for this very end of uniformity, the heathens also did erect temples, that they might all worship the same idol-god in the same manner. The plague of the Christian church hitherto hath been temple against temple, and altar against altar, “But thou, O Lord, how long?” Psal. vi. 3.
Secondly, Ezekiel's temple and city are very large and capacious, as I showed in the beginning; and the city had three gates looking toward each of the four quarters of the world, Ezek. xlviii. 31-34: all this to signify the spreading of the gospel into all the earth; which is also signified by the holy waters issuing from the threshold of the temple, and rising so high that they were waters to swim in, Ezek. xlvii. 1, 5. God hath said to his church, “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes: for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left,” Isa. liv. 2, 3. A great increase of the church there was in the apostles' times, Col. i. 6; but a far greater may be yet looked for, Rom. xi. 12. [pg 6-033] Though the enemy did come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifted up a standard against him, Isa. lix. 19; “The sea saw it, and fled; Jordan was driven back,” Psal. cxiv. 3. But when the gospel cometh, “like a noise of many waters” (as the Prophet calls it, ver. 2, signifying an irresistible increase), it is in vain to build bulwarks against it: God will even break open “the fountains of the great deep,” and open “the windows of heaven” (Gen. vii. 11); and the gospel will prove a second flood, which will overflow the whole earth, though not to destroy it (as Noah's did), but to make it glad; “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” Hab. ii. 14; Isa. xi. 9.
Thirdly, In this temple, beside the holy of holies, were three courts:[1394] the court of the priests; the court of the people, commonly called Atrium Israelis; and, without both these, Atrium Gentium, the court of the heathen, so called, because the heathen, as also many of those who were legally unclean, might not only come unto the mountain of the house of the Lord, but also enter within the outer wall (mentioned Ezek. xlii. 20), and so worship in that outer court, or intermurale; unto which did belong (as we learn from Josephus[1395]) the great east porch, which kept the name of Solomon's porch,—in which both Christ himself did preach (John x. 23), and the apostles after him (Acts v. 12); by which means the free grace of the gospel was held forth even to heathens, and publicans, and unclean persons, who were not admitted into the court of Israel,—there to communicate in all the holy things: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke xix. 10. This outer court of the temple is meant when it is said that the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery into the temple, and set her before Christ, John viii. 2, 3. Now all this will hold true answerably of the spiritual temple; for, first, As the uncircumcised and the unclean were not admitted into the temple among [pg 6-034] the children of Israel (Ezek. xliv. 9), so all that live in the church of Christ are not to be admitted promiscuously to every ordinance of God, especially to the Lord's table, but only those whose profession, knowledge and conversation, after trial, shall be found such as may make them capable thereof: yet as heathens and unclean persons did enter into the outer court, and there hear Christ and his apostles, so there shall ever be in the church a door of grace and hope open to the greatest and vilest sinners who shall seek after Christ, and “ask the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward,” Jer. i. 5. Secondly, There shall be also somewhat answerable to the court of the children of Israel: God can raise up even of the stones children to Abraham (Matt. iii. 9); he will not want a people to tread in the courts of his house, and to inquire in his temple. Thirdly, And as in the typical temple there was a court for the priests, so hath the Lord promised to the church: “Yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers,” Isa. xxx. 20; and again, “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding,” Jer. iii. 15. Fourthly, And as there was a secret and most holy place, where the ark was, and the mercy-seat, and where the glory of God dwelt, so Christ hath his own “hidden ones” (Psal. lxxxiii. 3), “the children of the bride-chamber” (Matt. ix. 15), who, “with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord,” 2 Cor. iii. 18. There is also a time coming when God will open the secrets of his temple, and make the ark of his testament to be seen otherwise than yet it hath been; which shall be at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, Rev. xi. 15, 19.
Fourthly, The fourth thing wherein Ezekiel's temple represented the church of Christ is in regard of the great strength thereof: it stood “upon a very high mountain,” chap. xl. 2. The material temple also in Jerusalem, as it is described by Josephus, was a very strong and impregnable place. Interpreters think that Cyrus was jealous of the strength of the temple, and for that cause gave order that it should not be built above threescore cubits high, whereas Solomon had built it sixscore cubits high, Ezra vi. 3. The Romans afterwards, [pg 6-035] when they had subdued Judea, had a watchful eye upon the temple, and placed a strong garrison in the castle Antonia (which was beside the temple), the commander whereof was called “the captain of the temple” (Acts iv. 1); and all this for fear of sedition and rebellion among the Jews when they came to the temple. Now the invisible strength of the spiritual temple is clearly held forth unto us by him who cannot deceive us: “Upon this rock,” saith he (meaning himself), “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” Matt. xvi. 18. The princes and powers of the world are more jealous than they need of the church's strength; and yet (which is a secret judgment of God) they have not been afraid to suffer Babylon to be built in her full strength: “There were they in great fear where no fear was” (Psal. liii. 5); for when all shall come to all, it shall be found that the gospel and true religion is the strongest bulwark, and chief strength for the safety and stability of kings and states.
Lastly, The glory of this temple was very great, insomuch that some have undertaken to demonstrate[1396] that it was a more glorious piece than any of the seven miracles of the world, which were so much spoken of among the ancients. But the greatest glory of this temple was, that “the glory of the God of Israel” came into it, and “the earth shined with his glory,” ver. 2; Christ, the brightness of his Father's glory (Heb. i. 3), walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Rev. i. 13), is and shall be more and more the church's glory; therefore it is said to her, “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee,” Isa. lx. 1. Surely as it was said of the new material temple, in reference to Christ, so it may be said of the new spiritual temple, which yet we look for, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts,” Hag. ii. 9. Christ will keep the best wine till the end of the feast (John ii. 10); and he will bless our latter end more than our beginning, Ezek. xxxvi. 11.
That which I have said, from grounds of Scripture, concerning a more glorious, yea, more peaceable condition of the church to [pg 6-036] be yet looked for, is acknowledged by some of our sound and learned writers[1397] who have had occasion to express their judgment about it: and it hath no affinity with the opinion of an earthly or temporal kingdom of Christ, or of the Jews' building again of Jerusalem and the material temple, and their obtaining a dominion above all other nations, or the like.